


The Merit of Flowers

by IChallengeMyFate (Ealdremen)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3445622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealdremen/pseuds/IChallengeMyFate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At her new job as a reluctant florist, Robin takes notice of a visitor that comes in multiple times a week yet never buys anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Merit of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Another day, another Lucirobin AU written as a warm-up. Enjoy meanderingly fluffy modern AUs?

Botany had never been one of Robin's strengths, but she had needed a job, and Anna had just so _happened_ to own a small flower shop – probably one of the many local businesses she had bought out several years ago. It was better than nothing, and so Robin spent a week learning what flowers signified what in a bouquet, under what conditions particular flowers grew best, and so on and so forth to prepare for an interview (because of course Anna wouldn't just _give_ her a job). All the while, she had found “the florists' ways” altogether silly at best and downright capitalist at worst. Was there really a point in an impractical, temporary gift like flowers? Surely someone could spend their money on better gifts for their loved ones.

She had kept those thoughts to herself during the interview, and Robin wasn't sure if it was nepotism or her own strengths that got her the job in the end, but even if she found the idea of buying flowers to give to someone rather silly, she had no right to complain.

That is, until she saw exactly why this position had been vacated by the previous employee.

The shop didn't get too much business, even around major holidays. A few of Robin's friends had paid pity visits and bought a flower or two, probably fearing the shop would go under and take Robin's financial security with it, but aside from that, she mostly interacted with plants more than people in a given workday.

Except for the blue-haired girl who came in several times a week.

She was maybe a few years younger than Robin, with hair that went past her shoulders and an oddly determined purpose with every step she took around the store. Her apparent age made her possibly a university student in the area, or so Robin had assumed until she realized this girl came in at such erratic times that she couldn't be taking classes.

Not that she was  _keeping track_ or anything. It was just easy to tell since so few customers came into the shop at all, much less regular ones.

But the girl was a riddle – she would come in and examine the flowers in such scrutiny Robin kept fearing that she would reveal Robin's lacking botany knowledge with a well-aimed question or just by watching Robin move about the shop. However, she mostly kept to herself, greeting Robin first and then going about her business, pacing around the flower displays.

For all Robin had seen her in the store, this girl had never bought  _anything._ She would quietly leave with nothing in hand – sometimes so quietly Robin hadn't even noticed her departure until hours had passed and she realized she was alone again in the tiny shop.

Anna had told Robin that the best way to get a customer to buy something was to have a friendly, personable (but professional) relationship with them. To make them feel welcome, to make them even feel guilty about walking out empty-handed. None too subtly, Anna also implied that Robin's job security hinged on making these connections and making sales.

So Robin tried to talk to this girl a few times. It was mostly pleasantries, but after the introductions got out of the way, Robin ended up finding out a bit about this mysterious girl.

Her name was Lucina – and she wasn't a student, she just had “an odd job” that resulted in equally weird working hours. Robin hadn't asked about Lucina's tendency to wander around and never buy anything, but Lucina eventually answered that on her own after the fourth day of Robin talking to her.

The bouquets were lovely, Lucina confessed with a wistful smile, but far out of her price range. Most of her money went towards paying rent. Ylisstol was an expensive city, and she couldn't risk digging into her already-thin emergency funds to buy flowers for herself. Still, the bouquets were too lovely to not enjoy, so she liked to just spend some time here. Was that alright? 

There was hesitation in her voice – she had scanned Robin's face for any sign of disapproval. Robin noticed for the first time that Lucina tended to tense up ever-so-slightly and would twist a lock of her hair between her fingers when she was nervous.

It's fine. Don't worry. Robin had waved her hand dismissively, putting aside Anna's contempt for “window-shoppers”. Besides, she had admitted, it was nice to have company. Lucina smiled at that, and she started coming to the shop almost every day after that. 

Robin soon learned what kinds of flowers Lucina favored – the more vibrant and brightly-colored, the better. She didn't seem to like the bouquets that were mostly one or two colors, preferring the ones that, in Robin's opinion, clashed more than anything. In particular, she seemed to eye an unusually varied bouquet comprised of pink, yellow, scarlet, orange, and periwinkle flowers. As Lucina gently touched a snow-white lily's petal, she started to speak quietly.

Where Lucina had grown up, there was very little of anything that grew – no trees or gardens, much less flowers. None grew in the wilds, and there certainly weren't any florists. Everything was altogether drab and... dead, utterly lifeless in almost every way. A dark frown crossed Lucina's face. Her hand fell away from the drooping petal.

Robin, her hands preoccupied with wrangling a bouquet of roses into a new vase, could only watch as Lucina bade her an abrupt farewell and departed, the bell in the door sounding as the door opened and closed in a heartbeat. For the first time, Robin worried that Lucina might not be back again – that the shop had reminded her of something so terrible she wouldn't return.

But she did, once again returning to that same bouquet Robin had feared dredged up bad memories for her – and that was enough to convince Robin that it was more than just company during a lull in the store that she wanted.

When Lucina entered into the shop the next day, Robin greeted her first this time – that same bouquet Lucina had been eyeing in hand. Lucina had recognized it, of course, asking what this was about. Steeling herself, Robin held it out for her, finding it suddenly hard to maintain eye contact. The lines she had been practicing hours before had flown from her head, leaving her alone to handle this.

She barely managed to tell Lucina she had bought the bouquet for her. The words came out jumbled and half-muttered, but Lucina's eyes had lit up all the same.

Lucina took the bouquet, her smile broader than Robin had ever seen, her gratitude hardly eloquent but enough to make Robin's heartbeat double in speed, especially as Robin cleared her throat to draw Lucina's attention back to her.

Her shift ended in ten minutes – would Lucina want to wait around until then? Maybe they could visit that park down the road? Robin had heard some lovely flowers grew in its gardens.

The enthusiastic “yes” made Robin realize, perhaps, there  _was_ some merit to flowers, after all.


End file.
